Kolkata: The Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority (NDITA) has started shifting hawkers from one side of certain road stretches in Sector V and rehabilitating them to the other side of the road to make one side free from encroachment.
Officials said so far, one side of the road stretches beside RDB Boulevard Mall on Street No. 24 and on the stretch behind Manikanchan building have been cleared as the hawkers have been relocated to the other side of the road to conduct business.
"The hawkers on several road stretches like Street No. 2, 4, 8, 14, 20, 22, 26, 30, 9, 13, 15, 17, 19, 23, 25, and 27 across Sector V will be shifted to the other side of the road in phases," said an NDITA official.
Officials said it was decided in the town vending committee to work on ensuring at least one side of the road stretches in Sector V could be freed from encroachments. "By doing this, we will be able to reclaim some space on one side, and we could arrange for the street vendors to do business on the other side with proper stalls in an aesthetic manner," said an official.
NDITA identified these stretches where hawkers were doing business on both sides. Previously, the authorities cleared some encroachments opposite Technopolis, and the main thoroughfare of the IT hub was declared a no-vending zone.
The authorities have also initiated the process to set up another multi-storied parking complex in Sector V, where the plan is to rehabilitate several hawkers on the ground floor. "The ground floor of the parking complex will be utilised for rehabilitating hawkers and street vendors. The plan is to rehabilitate at least 100 hawkers," said an official. An agency will be selected to prepare the detailed project report.
The authorities have also identified five vacant plots in Sector V to rehabilitate existing roadside street vendors.